


saturday afternoons and ruined bushes

by yououui



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shiritsu Horitsuba Gakuen, Fai is a walking disaster, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Romantic Comedy, someone (kurogane) please help him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 04:42:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21630343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yououui/pseuds/yououui
Summary: Fai begins to suspect that Kuroganemighthave feelings for him. Chaos ensues.
Relationships: Fay D. Fluorite & Kurogane, Fay D. Fluorite/Kurogane
Comments: 10
Kudos: 88





	saturday afternoons and ruined bushes

When Fai walked into the teacher’s room early Friday morning, it was to the sight of Kurogane, sitting at the table alone with a cup of tea, scrolling down his phone. Fai smiled to himself and slid into the chair beside Kurogane, pulled it up close so he could lean in on Kurogane’s side, peering down at his phone.

“What are you up to, Kuro-rin-sensei?” Fai asked, grinning.

“I was trying to have a relaxing morning,” Kurogane grumbled as he swiped his finger down his phone to pull the page up.

“Oh!” Fai exclaimed when he caught view of what Kurogane was looking at. “I’ve been wanting to see that movie! I’ve heard it’s really good.”

Kurogane nodded and, without looking up from his phone, asked, “Want to watch it tonight?”

Fai pulled back from Kurogane and looked at his coworker incredulously. “Really Kuro-sama? _You_ want to go to the movies?”

Kurogane looked up from his phone to give Fai a sidelong glance with narrowed eyes. “Do you think I just never go out?”

Fai grinned teasingly. “Would you be offended if I said that’s exactly what I think?”

Kurogane scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking back at his phone. “You’re an idiot,” He grumbled. “So do you want to go or not?”

“Yeah, I’ll go with Kuro-sama to the movies!” Fai said excitedly, leaving the table to begin making a pot of coffee. “Do you eat popcorn too, Kuro-sama? Or do you prefer to snack on candy while you watch?”

“Anything I can use to stuff your mouth so you’ll shut up is fine by me,” Kurogane murmured. “Let’s get a drink after the movie, too.”

“Sure!” Fai said, perking up at the sound of alcohol. “It has been quite a while since we’ve gone for a drink.”

Kurogane finished his tea and stood to wash the mug. “Then let’s meet at the gate after school. There’s a showing we can make if we leave quickly.”

“See you then!” Fai said happily. “Have good classes, Kuro-tan-sensei. Don’t yell at the kids too much.”

Kurogane grumbled something about “only have to yell if they make me” as he left the room with his hands shoved in his pockets. Fai went back to making coffee, humming to himself as he prepared a cup for himself with cream and sugar. 

The movies with Kurogane, that was new! Fai had been under the impression that Kurogane hated him when he first started teaching at Horitsuba, but somehow the two of them had fallen into a strange acquaintanceship that involved going to the nearest bar and drinking copious amounts of alcohol when they felt stressed. At this point, Fai would think the two of them had built up a friendship. A strange friendship, but a friendship nonetheless.

Fai laughed to himself as he walked to his classroom, imagining Kurogane in the movie theater, clutching a tub of popcorn to his chest.

—

“So… That movie…”

“Sucked.”

“ _Totally_ sucked!”

Fai whined as they left the movie theater, wrapping his blue scarf around his neck as they walked side by side down the sidewalk. “Why did everyone say it was so good?” Fai asked as he fumbled with the fabric around his neck. “I mean, it was so bad it was almost funny!”

“Maybe that’s why everyone liked it,” Kurogane said with a half shrug. “They liked being able to laugh at it. Here.”

Kurogane stopped and grabbed Fai’s shoulder to stop him as well. Kurogane reached for the scarf Fai was having trouble with and quickly fixed it so it nestled warmly around Fai’s neck as Fai just watched him, his hands at his side. When Kurogane was finished, he nodded and continued their walk.

“Thanks,” Fai murmured, his voice now muffled from the way Kurogane had wrapped his scarf partially around Fai’s chin. Fai pulled the fabric down a bit so he could speak clearly. “The bar isn’t that far, Kuro-sama. I could have done without the scarf until then.”

Kurogane shrugged. “It’s cold,” Was all he said.

When they got to the bar, Kurogane directed them to a private booth. Fai eyed Kurogane as he followed—usually they just sat at the bar when they drank together, but Fai didn’t mind the change. Kurogane disappeared for a few minutes after Fai sat down, returning with two drinks in his hands. Fai thanked him happily as he took his drink and sipped at it with a sigh. After going to this same bar so many times in the past together, Kurogane knew exactly what Fai enjoyed.

“So, does Kuro-sama have any exciting plans this weekend?” Fai asked a while later, after Kurogane brought back their third round of drinks.

“Tomoyo roped me into taking her and Sakura to the amusement park tomorrow since her mom got unexpectedly busy with work,” Kurogane grumbled over the lip of his glass, glaring down at the amber liquor.

“You don’t seem too happy about it,” Fai said, amused.

“It’s awkward enough that I have my cousin as a student,” Kurogane explained. “And now I have to babysit her and my _other_ student.”

“It could be worse,” Fai said as he leaned forward on his elbows. “Tomoyo and Sakura are good kids, so you don’t have to worry about them getting into trouble. All you have to do is get them on some rides and they’ll be entertained all day!”

“I guess,” Kurogane murmured. He looked up from his glass to Fai’s smiling face. “You wanna come?”

Fai blinked, then pointed a finger at himself. “Me?”

“I don’t see anyone else here,” Kurogane said dryly.

Fai laughed and shrugged, lifting his glass to his lips to take a sip. “I’m just surprised Kuro-sama would invite me anywhere on a Saturday, much less an amusement park.”

“Thought you liked that kind of stuff. More importantly, if someone else is there, it’ll keep the girls from bugging me too much,” Kurogane explained with a shrug. “But it’s not like you have to go or anything.”

“No,” Fai said with a smile. “I’ll go.”

Kurogane looked at Fai for a moment, then nodded and returned his attention back to his drink. “Okay. Good.”

Fai couldn’t suppress his grin. “Good,” He repeated, happy at the chance to progress his and Kurogane’s friendship from strange to somewhat normal. The opportunity to spend time with Kurogane on a Saturday afternoon made something like happiness swell in Fai’s chest. That, and he was excited to see Kurogane in an amusement park. He wondered what rides he could convince Kurogane to go on...

When they finished their drinks, Fai once again let Kurogane fix his scarf before they braved the cold night once again. They walked, chatting about random things as they went. It was only when Kurogane stopped in front of Fai’s apartment building that Fai became aware of where they were.

“Oh, Kuro-sama, didn’t we pass your building already?” Fai asked, frowning. “We must have completely missed it.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kurogane said as he pulled open the door to Fai’s building.

“I’m not letting you crash on my couch,” Fai said teasingly as he walked in through the door Kurogane was holding open for him.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Kurogane said, exasperated. He walked with Fai all the way to the elevator, then waited at Fai’s side for the doors to slide open.

“Kuro-sama,” Fai said when the elevator was one floor away. “You don’t have to wait with me, you can go home. It’s late.”

Kurogane shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

Fai nodded, looking back at their reflection in the elevator doors. They were quite the pair. Fai stood out enough in Japan; tall, slim, with wispy blond hair and bright blue eyes. With Kurogane at his side, the two almost always got more than a few looks. Kurogane was a full head taller than Fai, twice as broad, with handsome bronzed skin and brown eyes so warm they almost looked red.

The doors slid open, and Fai stepped into the elevator. He looked up when Kurogane stepped in with him and hit the button for Fai’s floor. “Kuro-sama…?” Fai asked slowly.

“I’m just walking you up,” Kurogane said. “I’m already here, after all.”

Fai looked at Kurogane with a brow raised in suspicion, but took the excuse and nodded. The two walked down the hallway to Fai’s door, where they both stopped. Fai dug for his keys in his pockets while Kurogane stood silently next to him, waiting. Fai shoved the newly found keys into his doorknob and twisted.

“Well, thanks for taking me out, Kuro-sama,” Fai said with a smile. “Even if the movie did suck. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Kurogane nodded. “We’re planning to meet at 11, but I’ll let you know if that changes.”

“Got it,” Fai said with a nod as he opened his door. “Bye then!”

Kurogane nodded and turned to leave once Fai was in his apartment. Fai waited a moment, then poked his head out to watch Kurogane walk down the hallway alone and wait for the elevator. Fai hid himself again as Kurogane stepped into the elevator, closing his door as quietly as he could so Kurogane wouldn’t have any suspicion that Fai was watching him.

“So weird,” Fai mumbled to himself as he shrugged off his coat and threw it over the back of his couch. His phone started buzzing in his hand, and he grinned when he caught sight of the name, hitting the green button. A face identical to his appeared on the screen. “Yuui!”

“Hey!” Yuui said through the screen. “Are you free to talk?”

“Always for you, brother,” Fai said as he fell into his worn armchair. “What time is it over there on the other side of the world?”

“Late afternoon,” Yuui said. “I just finished prepping for dinner service tonight and had some free time so I thought I’d call my favorite twin brother. What were you up to today?”

“Well,” Fai began. “I had class all day, the usual. Then after work, Kuro-sama and I went out to the movies and then for a few drinks! The movie was awful, the drinks were delicious though.”

Yuui was silent for a few moments, just looking at his twin through the screen and blinking wide eyes. “You… Went on a date with _Kurogane?_ The gym teacher?”

 _“What?!”_ Fai cried, sitting up straight. “A date?! I did not go on a…” He trailed off as he thought of the events of that night. He bit his nails nervously, then timidly asked, “...Did I go on a date with Kuro-sama?”

“Sounds like a date to me,” Yuui said with a shrug.

“But we go out for drinks all the time!” Fai exclaimed, his hand waving frantically.

“But you’ve never gone out to a movie before,” Yuui pointed out. “Who suggested going out to the movie? Did you guys get dinner, too?”

“H-He asked me if I wanted to go when I said I had wanted to see it,” Fai explained slowly. “And no, no dinner. We just got a bunch of snacks at the theater.”

“Did he pay for everything?” Yuui asked.

“Y-Yes,” Fai said with a gulp.

“Does he usually pay for everything?” Yuui asked again.

“...No,” Fai said. He shook his head. “But sometimes it’s easier for one person to pay! He’ll probably ask me to pay him back tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow?” Yuui asked. “But tomorrow is Saturday. Do you two have plans?”

“He asked me to go to the amusement park with him and his cousin,” Fai said quietly, like it was a confession he was afraid to make.

“Ahh…” Yuui said with a big, exaggerated nod. “Okay, go through the events of the night.”

Fai jumped into the story, explaining everything with as much detail as he could. As he went on though, he got more and more convinced that maybe it was a date. But there was no way! Kurogane would absolutely _never_ ask Fai out on a date! And if he did, wouldn’t he be a bit more clear about it?! Fai made sure to voice these concerns to Yuui as he went through his story.

“So he asked you to the movies,” Yuui said once Fai had finished. “Bought the tickets and all the snacks you wanted, then paid for your drinks while you were sitting at a private table, fixed your scarf for you multiple times, asked you to go out again within twenty-four hours, then walked you all the way to your apartment door? He may not have explicitly said it was a date, but that sounds pretty clearly like a date to me.”

“Oh my god,” Fai groaned into his arms, which were now crossed over the coffee table after he had sunk to the floor, his head buried in them. He lifted his head so he could scramble to his phone, pulling it up close to look at his brother. “But what would Kuro-sama even see in me?!”

“Come on, Fai,” Yuui said with a smile. “You’re a catch.”

“That’s not what Kuro-sama seems to think,” Fai murmured, resting his chin on his arm again, keeping one hand out to hold his phone up so his brother could still see him.

“Obviously he must like you a little if he spent the whole night with you and wants to spend tomorrow with you, too,” Yuui said. “But… What about you?”

“What about me?” Fai asked with a raised brow.

“I mean… Do you like Kurogane?” Yuui asked. “Would you date him if he asked?”

Fai thought about it for a long moment. When he had first met Kurogane, he had been enamoured with him. He thought Kurogane was handsome and sweet, though tough around the edges, and there was something about Kurogane’s persistent grumpiness that Fai found endearing. Fai had fun with Kurogane. He felt at ease around Kurogane. It was why he had come up with the many nicknames, why he found excuses to talk to Kurogane.

But Kurogane had made it clear to Fai that he wasn’t interested, even if he didn’t say so explicitly. The way he acted made it apparent enough to Fai that there was no way Kurogane would ever date him, so he let that go, though he kept the nicknames. And eventually, their friendship started. And… That was enough for Fai. He liked being around Kurogane, it was that simple.

But now… If Kurogane did want to date Fai…

Slowly, Fai nodded. “Yeah,” He admitted. “I’d date him.”

Yuui grinned. “Then what’s the problem?”

“He hasn’t even told me he likes me!” Fai whined as he hid his face again. “Not even as a _friend!_ We’re probably just reading way too much into this. He was probably just bored or something! And tomorrow, he just wants someone else there so his cousin doesn’t bug him!”

Yuui still smiled. “Just wait and see how things go tomorrow, Fai. Try to see how he’s acting and go from there.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Fai grumbled. He sighed and lifted his head again, glancing at the time. “I should go to bed.”

Yuui agreed, and after a drawn out goodbye, finally hung up. Fai crawled into bed after changing into pajamas, but he could barely sleep that night. He kept going over what had happened that night, trying to examine the tiniest things Kurogane had said and done to see if he could spot something that could give him the vaguest idea of what Kurogane was thinking. He imagined what the next day would bring, which led to him imagining what it would be like to hold hands with Kurogane, or get hugged by Kurogane, or kiss—

Fai groaned and buried his head under his pillow.

—

Fai bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for Kurogane, Tomoyo, and Sakura. Kurogane had texted him that morning to inform him that they would be thirty minutes late since Tomoyo insisted on dressing Sakura in a new outfit, which meant dressing Sakura in 10 different outfit combinations until they found one Tomoyo deemed worthy. It worked for Fai since he was also running late because of his outfit choice. At home, his bed was covered in clothes he had tried on and ripped off in the quest to find the perfect choice.

He settled on a high neck blue sweater, the one that brought out his eyes—not that it mattered since most of it was hidden under his black coat—and a pair of jeans that were tighter than necessary. But if Kurogane liked him, maybe Fai would catch him looking somewhere he shouldn’t be.

“Oi,” Fai heard in his ear.

Fai jumped, his arm flying up and catching a display of fliers that went scattering down the street. Fai watched them go with wide eyes, then turned slowly to Kurogane, who was also watching them fly off. Fai was distracted quickly from the rogue fliers though, his attention drawn instead to Kurogane. Was he always that handsome? _Yes,_ a voice in Fai's head answered immediately. But he looked so different on a Saturday afternoon compared to the school day. Kurogane was wearing his usual black coat, but under it was a fitted black sweater, and jeans— _jeans!_ Fai never thought he'd ever see Kurogane wear anything but his usual tracksuit and now here Fai was, having a meltdown over a pair of jeans! 

“O-Oops,” Fai said sheepishly after an almost uncomfortable span of silence, hoping to any higher power watching that Kurogane didn't notice the way Fai had looked him up and down.

“Sorry,” Kurogane muttered. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Oh no, you didn’t!” Fai said quickly, waving his hands in front of himself. “I was just startled! Not that you startle me, I mean— _ow!”_

Fai’s hand hit a light pole with a metallic bang in the middle of his manic explanation. “Geez,” Kurogane grabbed Fai’s wrist and pulled his hand close to look, and Fai felt his face heat up. “You’ll probably just have a bruise,” Kurogane said as he dropped Fai’s wrist. “Be more careful.”

“S-Sure!” Fai said in an awkwardly high voice. Why was he acting like this?! What was wrong with him?! Was it the jeans? He blamed the jeans. He cleared his throat and looked around. “Where are Tomoyo-chan and Sakura-chan?”

“Buying the tickets. Come on, let’s go,” Kurogane said as he gestured to the park gates and turned to walk.

“Oh, Kuro-sama!” Fai called as he caught up with Kurogane and fell into step beside him. “I can pay you back for the ticket today! Oh, and the movie yesterday, you did buy me a lot of snacks so—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kurogane said as they walked towards the girls. “My treat.”

“...Right,” Fai said, his throat suddenly very tight. He tried to shake it off as they walked up to Tomoyo and Sakura. “Hello girls!”

“Hi Fai-sensei!” The two said simultaneously.

“We’re really happy you came!” Sakura said with a bright smile.

“I almost didn’t believe it when Kurogane told us!” Tomoyo finished.

“Oh, come now girls, why wouldn’t I want to come?” Fai said. “You make it sound like I wouldn’t even want to be seen in public with Kuro-sama-sensei! Of course I’d want to go out with two cute girls and a handsome—”

While gesturing grandly towards Kurogane, Fai’s hand once again made unlucky contact, this time with a poor employee walking by with a tray of free samples. Little bites of food went flying as the tray clattered to the ground, leaving the boy shocked and looking a little frightened. Fai stared at the mess with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. Sakura had her hand over her mouth and Tomoyo looked suspiciously like she was trying not to laugh.

“Let’s just go inside before you really hurt someone,” Kurogane said with a sigh. He gestured for the girls to go in front of them, then grabbed Fai, who was still stunned and unmoving, by the shoulders to lead him in.

Fai gulped, his face hot and his heart pounding from more than just embarrassment.

—

The afternoon in the amusement park went by mostly without incident (though there was a close call involving a giant smoothie, saved quickly by Kurogane’s sharp reflexes). Fai walked with his arms planted firmly at his sides and avoided Kurogane’s eyes with all his might. He was afraid of himself at this point—who knew if he would take out Sakura and Tomoyo next?

“Kurogane, Sakura and I want to ride this rollercoaster!” Tomoyo said as they walked by one of the biggest rides in the park.

Kurogane and Fai eyed the long line, then Fai caught sight of the sign near the line entrance. “The wait is over an hour and a half,” Fai said with a frown. “Are you sure you’re okay with waiting that long?”

“Yep!” Sakura chirped. “We don’t mind!”

“Why don’t you two go off and find something else to do?” Tomoyo suggested with a smile. “I’ll call you when we’re done!”

“Fine,” Kurogane said with a shrug. “Don’t get kidnapped, I don’t want your mom to yell at me.”

“Wasn’t planning on it, but I’ll keep you updated,” Tomoyo retorted before pulling Sakura to the end of the ridiculously long line.

Fai swallowed. Crap crap _crap_ what was he going to do? He was left alone with Kurogane without Sakura and Tomoyo to act as a distraction and, for some reason, he was a walking disaster. What if he _killed_ Kurogane?

“So…” Kurogane said when Fai didn’t move. “Hungry?”

Fai just nodded without a word and without looking at Kurogane.

“Okay… Well, there’s a cafe over there,” Kurogane said, pointing to their left. “You can get some obnoxiously sweet drink.”

That made Fai snort with laughter. He risked a glance up at Kurogane, and his breath stuttered when he saw a hint of a smile on Kurogane’s face. He looked away again and nodded. “L-Let’s go then! You know I can only go a few hours without my sweets before I start going through withdrawals,” Fai said as he began walking quickly in the direction of the cafe.

Kurogane walked silently beside him. Fai swallowed the lump in his throat. He felt so… Awkward. Usually he’d have no problem talking to Kurogane right now or teasing him or dragging him over to the games or forcing him on a ride, but now? Now Fai felt like there was a tennis ball in this throat.

“Are you okay?” Kurogane asked suddenly.

Fai looked up at him, surprised. “Me?” Fai asked loudly. “I’m fine! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Just seems like you have some… Spatial awareness issues going on,” Kurogane said as he eyed Fai up and down with narrowed eyes.

Fai shook his head like there was a bee in his hair and gave the brightest grin he could. “No, I’m fine! Just… Feeling a bit clumsy, that’s all!”

“If you say so…” Kurogane said apprehensively. “Because you know… Today, I was—”

Fai’s eyes widened as Kurogane spoke. Oh no, was this it? Was Kurogane going to confess his feelings? No, he was going to tell Fai he knew what was going on, that he knew Fai thought they were on a date and that there’s no way in hell that would ever happen!

Fai didn’t get much of a chance to find out which way the conversation was going to go, because the next moment, his legs collided with the cafe’s waist-height fence and he went flipping over it and into the bushes on the other side with a cry.

As Fai lay there, dazed, staring up at the blue sky, he thought that he had finally been put out of his misery and some higher power had smote him. He was dead. His soul was floating up to heaven as he lay in an amusement park’s bushes. Then Kurogane’s face appeared overhead. Typical, of course he’d see Kurogane’s face in heaven.

A strong hand gripped his arm and hoisted him to his feet. Okay, not dead, though he still wished he were.

“Are you okay?” Kurogane asked as cafe employees ran out to check on Fai.

Fai nodded, still dizzy, and brushed his hands along his front to get some of the leaves off of his clothes. “Y-Yeah, just surprised,” Fai said.

Kurogane frowned, and Fai thought that he looked… concerned. Worried. Fai shut his eyes when Kurogane’s hand reached for him, expecting a knock over the head, but it never came. Instead, he felt Kurogane’s fingers in his hair, and when he opened his eyes, it was to see Kurogane pulling a leaf from his head.

“Let’s sit down,” Kurogane said as he stepped over the fence easily, and those unnecessarily long legs made Fai’s throat go dry. “I can’t have you killing yourself with two students under our care.”

Fai laughed tiredly and nodded, letting himself be ushered inside by three concerned employees. They brought water and offered whatever Fai and Kurogane wanted, on the house. Fai just ordered a coffee, Kurogane got a tea.

“I feel bad getting free stuff just because I’m clumsy,” Fai said as he stirred some creamer into his coffee.

“They just don’t want you to sue them,” Kurogane said as he sipped at his tea. “Though, I’m pretty sure they could probably sue you for the damage you did to their bushes.”

“Good point,” Fai said dejectedly, sinking a little in his seat. He continued stirring his coffee absentmindedly, staring into the spinning liquid like he was being hypnotized.

He was making himself look like an idiot, and for what? Because Kurogane _might_ want to date him? He wasn’t doing it on purpose, but that almost made him feel worse. He was such an idiot he couldn’t even control himself from knocking things over and flipping into bushes over a hunch. This was all Yuui's fault for putting the idea in his head and messing everything up! _And_ he had been so preoccupied with trying not to die that he hadn’t even noticed if Kurogane had looked at his ass, even once.

“Not thirsty?”

Fai blinked and looked up. Kurogane had finished his entire cup of tea while Fai had just sat there, being sad over the fact that he was an idiot. Fai apologized and drank his coffee quickly, having cooled down enough that he could down it in a few gulps.

“Let’s go!” Fai said, standing up quickly. The employees behind the counter all looked fearful.

“I thought you were hungry,” Kurogane said as he slowly stood.

“Nope, I’m fine!” Fai said. “Just needed some coffee! Let’s find a ride to go on.”

In reality, Fai couldn’t spend more time sitting in a cute cafe with Kurogane sitting across from him like the two of them were on a coffee date. So instead, he ran out of the cafe as quickly as he could and looked around for an innocent ride to go on.

A hand caught his wrist, stopping him.

“Would you calm down?” Kurogane asked as he pulled Fai back a step. “Maybe coffee was a bad idea, you just seem worse.”

Fai bit his lower lip and glanced away. “Sorry,” He mumbled. “I guess I’m just… Having an off day.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” Kurogane said. He paused, then dropped Fai’s wrist. 

“Why don’t we… Go on the ferris wheel?” Fai suggested, mustering up a smile. “I don’t think I can cause any damage up there.”

“Not unless you take the whole thing down with you,” Kurogane said.

Fai slapped Kurogane’s arm, grateful for the teasing exchange, and headed off in the direction of the ride. The line was short, as was expected for a ride so boring compared to the others in the park. Fai stepped into the car when it stopped in front of them, sat down on one side, then looked back at Kurogane as he climbed in.

“Can you even fit in here, Kuro-sama?” Fai asked teasingly.

“Shut up,” Kurogane drawled as he got in.

Fai opened his mouth to say something else, but was rendered speechless when Kurogane sat in the empty space beside him, their shoulders squeezed together. Fai blinked, looked from the empty seat across from them, then up at Kurogane, then back at the empty seat and back at Kurogane again.

The door shut, trapping them, and the ride continued. Fai sat with his hands on his knees, back stiff and straight, afraid to relax at all and get even more into Kurogane’s space. What the hell? _What the hell?_ Why did Kurogane sit next to him when there was a completely empty seat? Was he afraid their knees would bump? That must be it, they both do have very long legs, they’d probably have to fold in half to fit if they sat facing each other.

Fai stuck to that conclusion like it would save his life and stared at the scenery outside the window. The day was still young, but the sun would begin setting in an hour or so. He wondered how far Tomoyo and Sakura had made it in their line. He wondered if Kurogane would punch him if he rested his head on Kurogane’s shoulder. Then he mentally punched himself for the thought and focused back on the scenery.

“Oh,” Came Kurogane’s voice. Fai felt him lean a bit closer as he pointed out the window. “You can see the school.”

Fai followed where Kurogane was pointing and smiled. “Oh yeah,” He said, pressing closer to the window to see better. “I think I can even see the spots where your students were crying when you made them run, it stained the track!”

“Oh, shut up,” Kurogane said behind him.

Fai laughed. He caught sight of another building and pointed to it, turning to look at Kurogane. “I think that’s the bar we went to—”

Fai’s words got stuck in his throat when he turned slightly to look at Kurogane. It had only felt like Kurogane had leaned in a hair to point out the school, but now he seemed so… close. Being such a big man in such a small amusement park ride didn’t help much, he was close no matter what, but like this, his weight was leaned forward, his chest was pressed the slightest bit into Fai’s shoulder, and he was _warm._ Kurogane’s beautiful eyes weren’t looking out the window, but instead down at Fai.

Fai swallowed. It suddenly felt hard to breath.

“What were you saying?” Kurogane asked, and wait a second, was his voice lower? Did he lower his voice? Was he being _seductive?_

“I-I was just… Pointing out the bar… From last night…” Fai said, speaking suddenly seeming more and more difficult like his brain was buffering. He couldn’t help it though, not when it felt like Kurogane was leaning closer, but then again, the space was so small Fai couldn’t be sure if it was true or his imagination.

Before he got a chance to find out, the ferris wheel came to a sudden halt and their car rocked. Fai was thrown forward, Kurogane back, and there was a thud as Fai’s hand hit the car wall to keep from falling down completely. When Fai opened his eyes, he found that he was now hovering over Kurogane, his hand resting right beside Kurogane’s head. Okay, maybe letting himself fall wouldn’t have been such a bad idea.

Kurogane was looking up at Fai, not moving, not speaking, just waiting. Fai looked back, and for a moment, they hovered like that, and Fai felt torn between doing nothing and doing everything.

Fai swallowed and parted his lips. He saw Kurogane’s eyes flick down.

“Kuro—”

The car rocked again. Fai’s hand slipped from the wall, and with a painful crack, their foreheads collided. Fai fell back, his foot kicking up and into Kurogane’s thigh, which Kurogane responded to with a grunt. 

“We hope you enjoyed your… Are you two okay?” The ride attendant asked as they pulled the door open and caught sight of the two of them tangled together, cradling their aching heads.

“Yep,” Kurogane said as he stepped out of the car. “Peachy.”

Fai followed, stumbling down the steps and away from the ride with Kurogane. He rubbed at his forehead, staring pointedly at a discarded cup on the ground. This day couldn’t get any worse. He should move schools, he decided. It would be less painful then having to face Kurogane everyday for the rest of his career after this.

“We should go see if Tomoyo and Sakura are done,” Kurogane mumbled.

Fai nodded in agreement, and the two silently walked back to the rollercoaster. As they went, though, Kurogane pulled his phone from his pocket. He showed the text from Tomoyo to Fai, silently letting him know that the girls were still in line and would be for another half an hour, at least.

“Must be a good ride,” Fai said with a fragile, awkward smile. Kurogane grunted in response. Fai bit at his lips and looked around. “We can… Play some games? I bet Kuro-sama must be pretty good.”

“Why would _I_ specifically be any good at these?” Kurogane asked as he and Fai began walking in the direction of the games instead.

“You’re the physical education teacher!” Fai said, gesturing to Kurogane (specifically his arms). “You should be strong enough to knock over all the bottles and win me a huge stuffed animal.”

“You know these are all rigged, right?” Kurogane asked as they stopped in front of the first game; throwing darts to pop balloons.

“You’re just saying that so that if you lose, you have an excuse,” Fai said cheekily as he put down some cash and picked up his darts.

A few rounds later, Fai was walking away with a stuffed dragon in his hand. “I don’t want it,” Kurogane said as he and Fai walked around the other game booths.

“But I won it for you!” Fai said, shoving the dragon into Kurogane’s face.

“Keep it,” Kurogane grumbled.

“But it’s a token of my—” Fai should have known better. Before he could finish the sentence, his chest tightened up like a warning of what was to come, and his shin collided with a rogue trashcan.

Before he could tumble headfirst into the garbage where he belonged though, an arm wrapped around his middle and pulled him back. Fai blinked as he was straightened up, though the arm around him didn’t immediately go away. Fai looked over his shoulder, where Kurogane was looking down at him, too close once again.

“Keep your tokens,” Kurogane said. “And try not to die.”

The arm around him disappeared and Fai felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him. Oh, so that was it. Kurogane didn’t want Fai’s “tokens,” so he must not like him, right? No, a more rational part of Fai’s mind tried to say, he was just tired of the teasing! Fai suddenly felt dizzy.

Kurogane reached into his pocket for his phone and looked at it. “They’re done, let’s go,” He said. “We can finally get out of here.”

Fai nodded and followed behind Kurogane, his mind spinning. He felt no more sure about Kurogane’s feelings now than he did the previous night. He still didn’t know if Kurogane had looked at his butt! Then he remembered that his coat covered his butt the entire day and felt even more dejected. And more idiotic.

Sakura and Tomoyo were exhausted but happy when they all met, just about ready to head home. “What did you two do?” Sakura asked.

“Tried to keep this idiot from setting the park on fire,” Kurogane said with a thumb jabbed in Fai’s direction.

“Fai-sensei, what is that?” Tomoyo asked, pointing at the toy dragon Fai was holding.

“Oh, uh…” Fai lifted the dragon to look at it, his speech lagging.

“He won it,” Kurogane interjected.

“For Kurogane-sensei?” Sakura asked excitedly.

Fai looked at the dragon, made of soft silver fabric with beady little red eyes. He smiled and lifted it up to Kurogane. “That’s right,” He said. “I beat him just so I could give it to him.”

After all, even if Kurogane didn’t like him romantically, Fai wouldn’t let go of a friend so easily.

“Kurogane, take your gift!” Tomoyo said in a scolding tone. For a girl so much younger than Kurogane, she often did sound like his mother.

Kurogane looked at Fai, then the dragon, then snatched it out of Fai’s hand with an annoyed mumble to himself. Fai grinned, his spirits lifting. He still wasn’t sure if he could manage to avoid breaking any bones on the way home, but this was an improvement at the very least.

Tomoyo and Sakura looked absolutely delighted, grinning ear to ear at the sight of Kurogane holding his gift. Kurogane glared down at the little toy dragon like it had personally offended him.

“How about dinner?” Fai asked, wanting to get the attention off of the dragon.

“Oh, we’d love to Fai-sensei, but Tomoyo-chan and I have plans to eat dinner with my family tonight,” Sakura said apologetically.

“No need to apologize, Sakura-chan,” Fai said, raising a hand with a smile. “It was only a matter of time before you ditched us lame oldies.”

“Speak for yourself,” Kurogane interjected.

Tomoyo and Sakura giggled behind their hands. Fai smiled at Kurogane, but when Kurogane looked over at him and caught his eye, Fai’s heart did a strange thing, so he looked quickly back at the girls. After a few sweet treats and a couple of more games (Sakura won a giant stuffed lion), the group began heading home. Once they reached Sakura’s road, Tomoyo and Sakura set off with a wave. Fai waved back as they ran down the street, he and Kurogane watching until the duo disappeared into Sakura’s gate.

Fai sighed and turned back to Kurogane. There was an awkward moment of silence and Fai cleared his throat. “Well…” _I’d better get home,_ he was supposed to say, _before I kill someone!_

For some reason though, the words wouldn’t come out. He didn’t really want to go home.

“Wanna get a drink?” Kurogane asked.

“You trust me to get drunk? After today?” Fai asked with a nervous smile.

“Never said we had to get drunk,” Kurogane said, gesturing for Fai to follow him. “Besides, I can take care of you. Let’s go, it’s cold.”

 _Take care of him?_ What did _that_ mean? How would Kurogane take care of him? Carry him home? Tuck him into bed? Fai did have a vague memory of getting too drunk once and waking up on Kurogane’s couch, but he was still drunk when he woke up and the next time he opened his eyes he was back in his bed, so he couldn’t be sure if it was a dream or if he had actually walked home without realizing. Would he end up on Kurogane’s couch? Would Kurogane take him home? _What the hell did that mean?!_

A hand on Fai’s arm stopped him. He blinked, focusing back on what was in front of him, which at the time was a lamp post, inches from his face. He looked from the post to Kurogane, who was looking down at him, hand still on Fai’s arm to keep him from walking straight into the metal pole.

Fai smiled sheepishly and sidestepped the post. Kurogane didn’t let go of him until he seemed sure that Fai wouldn’t walk into something else. “You know, if something’s wrong, you don’t have to hide it,” Kurogane said quietly. “Something’s obviously distracting you.”

“I guess… A little,” Fai said as they kept on their path. He wanted to make a comment about Kurogane being his knight and keeping him safe the whole day, but he feared what would happen if he said anything even remotely teasing such a thing based on his track record, so he kept silent.

“Well…” Kurogane said, taking a moment to think, his brows pinching. “Just… Pay more attention. It’ll be trouble for me if you die tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” Fai said in a jokingly serious voice. “So where are we going? Same place as usual?”

Kurogane shrugged nonchalantly. “We can. It’s a little farther from here, though. Or I have some good sake at my place, we can just drink there.”

Fai’s heart did a funny thing, or maybe it was terrifying, since it felt like it had leapt to his throat and he was left choking on it. Kurogane was expecting an answer though, looking at Fai in expectation. Fai gave a stiff nod and forced a smile. “S-Sure,” He managed to choke out.

Kurogane nodded, and without another word, led Fai in the direction of his apartment. Fai focused on getting himself to breathe along the way, trying and failing to not think about what it meant for Kurogane to invite him to his house.

It began to feel like he had swallowed a block of ice the closer they got to Kurogane’s apartment, and he was surprised that he realized it was more out of excitement than nervousness. He wanted to know how Kurogane lived. What kind of decorations did he have? Did he play video games, or did he have an extensive movie collection? Fai wanted to know everything about Kurogane.

A hand closed around Fai’s arm once again and yanked, right as Fai’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud honk. Fai stumbled backwards into Kurogane’s chest as a car sped by where he was just about to walk. He blinked and looked up; they were stopped at a large intersection, and he had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he had almost walked right into traffic. 

Fai blinked and looked down at his arm, which Kurogane was still holding, then up at Kurogane, who Fai was still pressed against. The block of ice in Fai’s stomach seemed to only grow colder, and he cursed at himself for acting like a stupid teenager with a crush. 

“You saved me once again, Kuro-sama,” Fai said, with what he hoped was a teasing tone, but unfortunately his voice wavered as he said it. “You can let go now. I promise I’ll pay more attention.”

“You’ve been saying that all day,” Kurogane said, not relinquishing his hold on Fai. “Until you can go five minutes without almost killing yourself, I’m not sure I should let go.”

Fai laughed and waved his free hand in the air flippantly. Then, without thinking, he said, “At least hold my hand so it feels less like you’re escorting me to jail.”

“Fine,” Kurogane said just as quickly, and before Fai’s mind could catch up to the moment, Kurogane released Fai’s arm and instead grabbed his hand, instead.

The ice block in Fai’s stomach swiftly melted because now it felt like his entire body was on fire. His heartbeat picked up such an intense speed that Fai was sure his face was actually going to burst into flames from all the blood rushing to it. He felt dizzy as he stared down at their hands, and no matter how hot he felt all over, somehow Kurogane’s hand still felt warmer. 

The hand holding his tugged when the light turned green, and Fai followed blindly, unable to look at anything but that hand holding his. His skin looked so fair next to Kurogane’s—was he always that pale? Fai was pretty sure he didn’t breathe the entire walk, not until they stopped and Kurogane’s large hand dropped his, and then Fai gulped in a breath of air like he had just been saved from drowning.

“We’re here,” Kurogane said as he pushed the door open to his building. “And you didn’t die.”

Fai couldn’t even fake a smile. He just nodded and slowly walked into the building, still in a daze. Kurogane raised a brow at Fai but said nothing, just led him to the elevator and up to his apartment. Fai waited silently as Kurogane found his keys and unlocked his door, and then they walked through the threshold together.

Kurogane went to the kitchen, dropping the stuffed dragon Fai had completely forgotten about on the countertop as he fished for glasses and alcohol. Fai stared at the dragon for a long moment, then slowly moved his eyes over the rest of the apartment. It was simple, from what he could see. A little table in the breakfast nook, a couch in the living room, a TV that sat on a simple entertainment system, two bookshelves shoved in the corner.

“You can come in, you know,” Kurogane said from the kitchen.

“R-Right,” Fai said with a cough. He slipped off his shoes and stepped into the apartment. He walked slowly to the living room, using the time to figure out what he should do. Would it be appropriate to sit down while Kurogane was getting the drinks? Should he be helping him? Would it be strange if he locked himself in the bathroom for the next hour?

Fai settled on walking up to the bookshelves to see what Kurogane collected. Some of the space was taken up with DVDs and video games, others books. The majority of the space was taken up with something much more interesting though.

“You read manga?” Fai asked as he leaned in closer to look at the titles. That’s when he realized, to his extreme delight, that the many shelves were dedicated to one manga in particular.

“Yeah, sometimes,” Kurogane said casually from the kitchen.

"Sometimes" sounded like an understatement. Kurogane had every volume of the series, sometimes multiples of the same volume in what looked like different versions. There were artbooks, guidebooks, it looked like even a movie had been made, which Kurogane owned every version of, even the one that came in a two-inch thick case. Fai grinned as he picked up a little figure of what he assumed was one of the characters.

A cool glass bumped the back of his hand and Fai looked up, still smiling. Kurogane was standing beside him, handing him his cup with an eyebrow raised. Fai put the figure down and took his glass. “You sure do seem to like this series,” Fai said as he looked over the rest of the shelves.

“Yeah, well… I’ve read it since I was a kid,” Kurogane said with a shrug. 

Fai kept smiling. How cute.

Fai’s gaze landed on a photograph sitting in a simple white frame on another shelf. It was of a beautiful woman with pale skin and a kind smile that most surely must be related to Tomoyo somehow, and of a man that looked almost exactly like Kurogane, grinning happily. 

“My parents,” Kurogane said when he caught where Fai was looking.

“I figured,” Fai said. He looked up at Kurogane, then back at the photo quickly. “They’re really… Attractive.”

 _That must be where Kuro-sama gets his good looks!_ Fai would have said if he had any brain cells left. As it were, he was so mortified that he had just called Kurogane’s parents _attractive_ that he found himself unable to speak, so he instead took a sip of his drink.

Kurogane snorted. “I’ll make sure to let them know you think so,” He said as he moved to sit on the couch. 

Fai followed suit and made sure there was a full cushion between himself as Kurogane as he sat down. “Th-This sake is really good,” Fai said, keeping his eyes pointedly on his glass.

“It’s from my hometown,” Kurogane told him. “I bring some back every time I go to visit, so I have a ton.”

“Is your town… Far from here?” Fai asked.

“It’s near the coast,” Kurogane said. “So it’s not that far, but it’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere.”

“Must be beautiful, though,” Fai said. “And quiet. It explains Kuro-sama’s personality quite a bit.”

Kurogane snorted. “The hell does that mean?” He asked with a shake of his head. “But yeah, it’s pretty nice. You can come with next time I go, drink all the sake you want.”

Fai’s hand slipped over the glass. He managed to catch the glass before it fell, but not without getting a good amount of sake spilled over his jacket and shirt. “Sorry!” He held the glass awkwardly as he tried to keep the sake dripping from his fingers from falling to the floor.

“‘S fine,” Kurogane grunted as he stood. Fai did so as well, half following Kurogane. He stopped though, unsure if he was meant to follow, so he instead stood behind the couch, waiting. Kurogane returned with a towel, which he shoved into Fai’s hands as he took the glass back to the kitchen. 

Fai sighed to himself and wiped his hands clean. He shoved off his jacket and threw it over the couch to allow it to dry, then ran the towel over his sweater in an attempt to dry some of the sake that was staining it. Kurogane returned quickly with a fresh glass for Fai, which Fai took with quiet thanks.

Despite having a new glass, though, neither of them moved to sit on the couch again. Fai stared down at his glass, and Kurogane stood in front of him, staring at him.

“You know,” Kurogane said gruffly. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. You can… go home.”

Fai blinked and looked up at Kurogane. Kurogane was no longer looking at Fai; his gaze was pointed at something to the left. “I don’t want to go home,” Fai said quickly.

Kurogane binked once, then looked at Fai again. Fai couldn’t read Kurogane’s expression at all, all he could do was look back into warm eyes like they were trapping him. Fai swallowed. “I-I want to stay,” Fai managed to say in an effort to make himself clear. “If _you_ want me to, I mean.”

Because for as nervous as Fai felt, he was telling the truth. He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay as long as Kurogane would allow.

Kurogane continued looking at him. Then, he leaned in closer. And closer. And Fai couldn’t help it when he leaned back a bit, away from Kurogane, his back arching. What was Kurogane _doing?_ He wasn’t going to do what Fai _thought_ he was going to do, was he? Without saying a word?

Fai opened his mouth to speak, and in that moment, he felt confident that he definitely did see Kurogane’s eyes move to look at his lips. Fai’s words died out.

Then, a fraction of a second too late, Fai realized that he had leaned too far back, and with a yelp, fell back over the couch. On instinct, he grabbed the front of Kurogane’s shirt to try and catch himself, but all that did was pull Kurogane down with him with a low grunt.

Fai wasn’t sure exactly how it happened, but somehow the two of them ended up soaked in sake and fallen to the floor in front of the couch. All Fai was aware of was the sound of the glass rolling away on the floor, and the weight of Kurogane on top of him.

Quickly though, Kurogane pushed himself off of Fai and sat leaning against the couch, pushed hair wet with sake out of his face. He avoided looking at Fai. 

Fai scrambled up, scooting an inch back from Kurogane. “I’m sorry!” Fai cried. That was it. He was definitely getting kicked out now.

Kurogane took a deep breath. Then, still without looking at Fai, he asked, “Do you really feel that awkward around me? You hate it that much?”

Fai blinked, his shoulders slumped. “...Huh?”

“I mean I thought you liked it when we went out,” Kurogane continued, still without looking at Fai. “But I guess you just liked it when we went out drinking casually—”

“Kuro-sama, what are you—”

“And now here I am, looking like the idiot that thought there was more and even—asking you to the movies? An amusement park? I’d never go to an amusement park but I thought _you_ liked amusement parks, that’s the only reason I agreed to take Tomoyo when she asked, and I really must be an idiot since I—I mean, I thought we had a moment, on the ferris wheel and the walk home, and I thought that you felt it too but obviously you must not have and—”

“I felt it,” Fai said quickly.

That made Kurogane stop rambling. Kurogane finally, finally lifted his eyes to look at Fai. The ice was back in the pit of Fai’s stomach, yet at the same time, his face felt on fire. He swallowed.

“I felt it, too,” Fai said again. “The moment. On the ferris wheel and all day really. I-I mean, I thought I did b-but I wasn’t sure and didn’t want to… assume.”

Kurogane was quiet for a moment. “Then why were you acting weird all day?” He finally asked, his voice softer than usual. He looked away again. “It felt like you… I don’t know, just seemed like you’d rather get yourself killed then... be with me.”

Fai blinked, and then he couldn’t help his tired, exasperated smile. Kurogane looked so stubborn, so adorably upset, all because he thought Fai didn’t want to spend the day with him. The ice in his stomach melted away, leaving behind happy, fluttering butterflies. 

“I don’t really know why I was so clumsy today,” He told Kurogane. “But I think it had something to do with the fact that I was so nervous being with you today. And _not_ because I didn’t want to be with you, but the… the opposite. And I thought maybe you… But I wasn’t sure and... And I was scared I was… reading too much into it.”

Fai’s voice trailed away into nothing, his confession lingering in the air. He looked down and gulped. Well, there it was. Kind of, anyway. He still hadn’t managed to get all the words out, but Kurogane was smart. He’d figure it out.

“Well… I did,” Kurogane said after a moment of silence. “You weren’t reading too much into it. Asking you to the movies and the amusement park, I thought it was… I thought I was being pretty clear.”

Fai huffed out a laugh and shook his head. He inched closer to Kurogane, who turned his head towards him. “Kuro-sama, you’re really clueless with things like this, aren’t you?” He asked with a smile. “In the future, you should say exactly what you mean, so I don’t end up in the hospital trying to figure it out.”

Kurogane cracked a smile at that. “You know you could just ask, too.”

Fai was grinning now, still moving closer, until he was kneeling right beside Kurogane. “Then, maybe we’re both clueless idiots.”

“Yeah,” Kurogane said with a nod. “Guess so.”

A warm hand grabbed Fai’s wrist and pulled, Fai’s hands found purchase on a broad chest, and Fai fell easily into a kiss. Kurogane’s lips were softer than Fai expected, and tasted sweet with the sake spilled over them, and Fai couldn’t help but smile against them.

The kiss was short and perfect. They pulled away just enough to look at each other, and Fai found himself entranced by the dimension in Kurogane’s eyes from this close, specks of auburn dispersed throughout warm brown. 

Kurogane quirked a brow. “Clear enough for you?”

Fai grinned. “I’m not sure yet Kuro-sama,” He said teasingly. “I think you might have to make it a bit clearer for me.”

Without hesitating, Kurogane pulled Fai back in. They kissed chastely for a moment, then slowly, like time didn’t matter to them at all, they moved their lips against each other. Fai hummed in contentment, thinking that this was the best kiss he’d ever had, and wondering if he should tell Kurogane that. He didn’t want to end the kiss just yet, though, so he decided to save it for later.

When they did eventually separate, Fai laughed quietly against Kurogane’s lips. “Kuro-sama, maybe we should clean up,” He said. “We’re both still covered in sake.”

Kurogane nodded in agreement. “I can throw your clothes in the wash if you want.”

Fai put a hand to his chest as if he had just heard something scandalous. “ _Kuro-sama._ Are you trying to get me undressed? On the first date?”

“You told me I should be clear about this sort of stuff,” Kurosaid said dryly. “So yeah. Take your clothes off.”

Fai’s eyebrows shot up, but he as grinning. “My, my, Kuro-sama, I never expected this sort of thing from you, you’re so—”

Kurogane shut Fai up with another smiling kiss, and Fai let him, again and again.

**Author's Note:**

> I watched the episode of Gilmore Girls when Lorelai thinks she went on a date with Luke though she isn't sure, and any time she's around him she knocks tables over and walks into doors, and thought of Fai doing the exact same thing with Kurogane. And now here we are.


End file.
